Taiwan Ruling Inspires Gay-Rights Hope in China

After gay-marriage victory, some in China ask: why can't it happen here?

A supporter waves a rainbow flag during a rally after Taiwan's constitutional court ruled that same-sex couples have the right to legally marry in Taipei, Taiwan on May 24, 2017. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu
Photo:
Reuters

By afternoon Thursday, a day after Taiwan’s top court paved a path for gay marriage in two years, the hashtag #TaiwanGayMarriageLegalization had attracted some 11 million views on China’s Weibo social-media platform, with users posting rainbow flags, hearts and congratulations.

"We can see hope," said Peng Yanhui, a gay-rights activist in his 30s living in Guangzhou, in a phone interview. "If you bravely stand up, if you continue striving, one day you can have equal rights."

For some it was also an occasion to ask: Why was the decision possible in Taiwan, but not China?

"Some people feel, Taiwan can be proud and so China should be proud, as well," said You Yuping, a 25-year-old gay filmmaker. “But it's not the same--this happened under their legal system.”

China doesn’t recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions. The country effectively decriminalized homosexuality only in 1997, and stigma remains. China's censors, for example, keep a tight rein on gay-themed dramas, and last year a Chinese court ruled against a couple that had filed a complaint after trying unsuccessfully to get married.

If gay marriage is a touchy topic in China, so is the status of Taiwan. Taipei and Beijing split in 1949, though China views the democratically ruled island as its own territory. Since Taiwan last year elected President Tsai Ing-wen -- whose party favors independence -- relations between the two have deteriorated.

Taiwan has often been at the vanguard of trends in the region; its ruling Wednesday was the first of its kind in Asia. In China, the island has long served as a font of pop culture and has been seen as a kind of social forerunner.

Mr. You said that since his childhood growing up in Fujian province, he has seen Chinese attitudes toward sexual minorities soften. Still, he said, it's a long way from Taiwan, which every years hosts a gay-pride parade that attracts tens of thousands of participants.

As many Chinese took to social media to celebrate Taiwan's decision, some appeared to invoke the “One China” policy to claim a vicarious victory. "Wow! Awesome! Taiwan is also part of China!" wrote one celebratory user.

"In the future, will history books write: China was the first country to legalize gay marriage, which it first carried out in Taiwan," wrote another.

The tone of comments in response to Wednesday's news was overwhelmingly celebratory, though some Weibo posts were critical, with one user saying that gay marriage "violated nature's rules."

Mr. Peng said many in China continue to view homosexuality as a disease. In 2014, he won a court ruling against a clinic where he'd received electric shocks as a form of "conversion therapy," with a Beijing court saying that homosexuality was not an illness and the clinic, accordingly, wasn’t qualified to offer such treatments. Mr. Peng said numerous hospitals and clinics across China continue to offer various forms of such therapy.

"A lot of people are really happy, but there's also sorrow," said Mr. You about Taiwan’s ruling. "This kind of progress isn't so likely in China--we'd likely have to wait for a very far-off day."